# Watching an old movie / TV show: "Hey, there's that actor from the other, more recent thing!"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 14, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473 "2021-07-14T15:24:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/1 "2021-07-14T15:24:57Z")
Watching an old 'Untouchables" episode on one of those on-air retro TV channels while making dinner the other day, a young Peter Falk did a really good job playing a smooth, charming gangster. It was a fun episode seeing Falk play a bad guy. Other than, of course, Columbo and the movie “The In-Laws” a long time ago, I don’t think I’ve seen Falk in much else.
Incidentally, in the episode, Falk’s character tries to bribe Elliot Ness with $500,000 in a Swiss bank account (over $10 MILLION equivalent in today’s money!). Shows Ness a bankbook with his name and $500, 000 written in. And it was just to overlook a gambling device that they were installing in stores. Falk’s character to Ness: “an ordinary working man bets a nickel- just a nickel- and he might win $5. What’s wrong with that?” They must have been hauling in a LOT of nickels to be able to bribe Ness with half a mill in 1934 money. Of course, Ness rips up the bank book, grabs the Falk character by the lapels and tells him he’s going to arrest him and throw him in jail soon.
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### Author:  [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/2 "2021-07-14T15:39:31Z")
Someone pointed out to me much later that Billy Crystal’s son in “City Slickers” was played by…
> **[Flashback: Jake Gyllenhaal's Bit Part in 'City Slickers'](https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/flashback-jake-gyllenhaal-plays-billy-crystals-son-in-city-slickers-43820/)**
>
> Jake Gyllenhaal got his career off to a strong start with this bit role in 'City Slickers.'
I think it’s also an interesting bit of trivia that Sofia Coppola’s first acting gig was playing a boy.
> Coppola’s acting career, marked by frequent criticisms of [nepotism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepotism) and negative reviews,[[16]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia_Coppola#cite_note-16)[[17]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia_Coppola#cite_note-17) began while she was an infant, as she made background appearances in seven of her father’s films. The best known of these is her appearance in _[The Godfather](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Godfather)_ as the infant Michael Francis Rizzi, in the baptism scene.[[18]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia_Coppola#cite_note-18)[[19]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia_Coppola#cite_note-Baptism-19)
> **[Sofia Coppola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia_Coppola)**
>
> Sofia Carmina Coppola (/ˈkoʊpələ/ KOH-pəl-ə .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Italian pronunciation: \[soˈfiːa karˈmiːna ˈkoppola\]; born May 14, 1971) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and former actress. She has received an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Golden Lion,\[a\] and a Cannes Film Festival Award,\[b
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/3 "2021-07-14T16:13:58Z")
_The Untouchables_ (the TV show, not the movie) was a treasure chest full of people you knew, people you’d know later, and people you don’t remember you knew.
Barbara Stanwyck
Jack Klugman
Edward Asner
Gavin MacLeod
Anne Francis
Telly Savalas
Lee Marvin
Harry Dean Stanton
Michael Ansara
Martin Landau
Rip Torn
Charles Bronson
Robert Duvall
Robert Redford
Kathleen Nolan
Leslie Nielsen
Not to mention enough character actors to fill every background scene for an entire season of _Star Trek_, _Bonanza_, and the _Twilight Zone_ combined.
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### Author:  [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/4 "2021-07-14T16:22:18Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#):
>
> _The Untouchables_ (the TV show, not the movie) was a treasure chest full of people you knew, people you’d know later
> […]
> Leslie Nielsen
Saw him playing a guest role in another old show not too long ago. After growing up seeing him playing deadpan comic roles in “Airplane!” onward, it’s really weird to see him being equally deadpan but playing it totally straight and non-ironic in older stuff.
> [@Kent\_Clark](#):
>
> Harry Dean Stanton
Seems like he played “bad guy henchman #1 or #2” in every other episode of every 60s Western there ever was.
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### Author:  [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/5 "2021-07-14T16:38:48Z")
I remember that I once saw an episode of _The Untouchables_ that had Elizabeth Montgomery in a cigarette girl outfit ( think Playboy Bunny cocktail dress ). I was amazed! You have no idea just how attractive she was when she wasn’t costumed in funky-klunky 60s gear.
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/6 "2021-07-14T16:43:56Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#):
>
> I think it’s also an interesting bit of trivia that Sofia Coppola’s first acting gig was playing a boy.
I made a joke here about an episode of _Columbo_ that had a very young Gwyneth Paltrow in it. It was filmed while her mother, Blythe Danner, was pregnant.
I am constantly recognizing actors that I’ve seen in other roles; always have done. When IMDb came along, it was a godsend; but I still like to try and recognize actors by memory without having to resort to the internet. I saw _Breaking Away_ a while ago, and one of the obnoxious college kids looked familiar. Took me a while, but I eventually realized it was the same guy who played Ellis in _Die Hard_.
I saw the old “The Outer Limits” episode _Demon With a Glass Hand_ and looked up the female lead to see if she had appeared in anything else. Turned out it was Tasha Martel. She had dozens of TV roles in the 60s through the 80s, including Spock’s fiancée on _Star Trek_. I sometimes wonder if the best compliment to an actor is to say you didn’t recognize them.
And just last night I saw an old movie that had an early role by George C. Scott. Karl Malden was also in it; they appeared together 11 years later in _Patton_.
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### Author:  [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/7 "2021-07-14T17:02:09Z")
Harry Shearer was in the pilot?
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJe1e_T_FIs)
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### Author:  [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/8 "2021-07-14T18:12:20Z")
Especially now there are channels that re-run ancient programmes and movies. It’s like those endless conversations my parents used to have: “Wasn’t she in that thing where that chap ran away with, oh, you know the one, you must remember…”
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/9 "2021-07-14T19:45:40Z")
This thread may also be of interest - lots o’ good stuff: [Spotting Star Trek actors in other programs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-star-trek-actors-in-other-programs/794982)
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### Author:  [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/10 "2021-07-14T20:00:23Z")
Years ago I was watching _Dexter_ on Netflix (back when it was on Netflix), and I was like “hey, there’s Jonathan Banks”. He played an FBI agent in a couple of episodes before landing the much bigger role he played in _Breaking Bad_ and now _Better Call Saul_.
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### Author:  [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/11 "2021-07-14T20:24:26Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#):
>
> Years ago I was watching _Dexter_ on Netflix (back when it was on Netflix), and I was like “hey, there’s Jonathan Banks”.
I can beat ya on early Jonathan Banks sightings-- several months ago I had “The Waltons” on background while working, and Banks had a guest appearance. Jonathan Banks aged early 30s-ish was almost unrecognizable compared to how he looks today, but something about him looked familiar, so I opened up IMDb and…no way!
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### Author:  [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/12 "2021-07-14T20:27:21Z")
Jonathan Banks was the “radar range” guy in “Airplane!”
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### Author:  [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/13 "2021-07-14T20:30:31Z")
> [@Shoeless](#):
>
> Jonathan Banks was the “radar range” guy in “Airplane!”-
Jonathan Bank’s earliest credited appearance ever:
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE5ci3dMbu4)
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### Author:  [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/14 "2021-07-14T20:36:35Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#):
>
> Years ago I was watching _Dexter_ on Netflix (back when it was on Netflix), and I was like “hey, there’s Jonathan Banks”. He played an FBI agent in a couple of episodes before landing the much bigger role he played in _Breaking Bad_ and now _Better Call Saul_ .
It’s interesting to see him when he was younger and had hair. I remembered him, too, from Gremlins.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmCuEt1M1c0)
Tim Matheson on Leave it to Beaver.
> **[The Clothing Drive (1963)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0630297/mediaviewer/rm2840244225/)**
>
> Tim Matheson and Jerry Mathers in Leave It to Beaver (1957)
ETA Ninja’ed on early Jonathan Banks sightings
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### Author:  [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/15 "2021-07-14T20:36:46Z")
Since I haven’t commuted in a year, I’ve watched an awful lot of Leave it to Beaver in the mornings, as a break from the news.
The lady in that clip who asked for the bicycle is Diane Brewster, who was Beaver’s teacher in the first season (eventually replaced by Sue Randall). And of course the bald guy was re-cast as Fred Rutherford, Ward’s colleague at work.
But what I came to mention was there is a later episode where Wally gets a haircut from the actor who eventually became Floyd the Barber in Mayberry.
I also recently saw Tony Dow as a biker in Emergency!, and in a different episode, a very young John Travolta as an injured kid they had to treat.
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/16 "2021-07-14T21:43:02Z")
No discussion of Leave It to Beaver can leave out Veronica Cartwright in the recurring role of Violet Rutherford.
[ ](https://cdnmetv.metv.com/Kqft9-1553722327-1326-quiz_question_image_-13_mayberry_veronica_cartwright_copy.jpg)
She was even a good enough sport to reprise her role in Still the Beaver in 1985 - after she had been in Alien, The Right Stuff, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and several big budget TV miniseries.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIatF68p1Lc)
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### Author:  [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/17 "2021-07-14T22:00:05Z")
imdb says she was in four episodes…I don’t think I ever saw them. Interesting!
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### Author:  [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/18 "2021-07-14T22:00:16Z")
I’m a big fan of _Northern Exposure_ and have binge-watched the whole series every 5 or 6 years since the late 90’s when I discovered reruns on A&E.
It wasn’t until I’d watched through the series 3 or 4 times that I realized that one episode aired in 1993 had Jack Black in it playing a high school student (he was 23 at the time).
According to Wiki’s filmography he’d had several acting credits before then, including as the airplane pilot in _Waterworld,_ which I wasn’t aware of.
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### Author:  [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/19 "2021-07-14T22:10:25Z")
Harrison Ford in American Graffiti.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUHe0jgtsY4)
IIRC Suzanne Somers was flat broke when she got the role of the blonde in the T Bird. It was her first credited role.
Vincent Spano had a bit part…he later was in Hill Street Blues.
Debralee Scott, bit part…first credited role, later came Mary Hartman.
Quite the cast, tons of young faces.
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### Author:  [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2021, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-an-old-movie-tv-show-hey-theres-that-actor-from-the-other-more-recent-thing/946473/20 "2021-07-14T22:51:45Z")
Leslie Nielsen played a musician/conductor in a movie called _ **Counterpoint** _ (1968), about a symphony orchestra that’s captured by the SS during the Battle of the Bulge while they’re on a USO tour. (The musicians, not the Nazis.) At one point before the big climax, he has an long talk about their plight with the orchestra’s leader, Charlton Heston.
Not too long ago, I watched this movie for the first time in years. That particular scene was so _grave_, so _serious_, so _deadpan_, I was convulsed in laughter the whole time it was on.
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